Everyone deals with reports, but different IT departments have different needs and concerns. Help/Systems offers three products to help you manage your System i reports. This article looks at five common business needs and describes how ESEND, Robot/REPORTS, and Robot/TRANSFORM handle them. You’ll discover that there is no “one size fits all” solution.

1. I need to generate PDFs from i5/OS spooled files and e-mail them to users.
You can use ESEND to generate a PDF from a spooled file. The PDF it creates from a *AFPDS file is a graphical representation of the data and is not searchable. The PDF it creates from a *SCS file, with or without image overlays, is searchable. You can have ESEND e-mail the PDF to an individual, or to a list of recipients.

Use Robot/TRANSFORM to create PDF output from a spooled file or a PCL file. You can create a PDF from *SCS, *USRASCII, or *AFPDS spooled files. It will work with overlays on the *AFPDS spooled files. Robot/TRANSFORM lets you choose whether the PDF it creates is searchable or non-searchable. To e-mail the PDF, you need Robot/ALERT.

You can use Robot/REPORTS to create searchable PDF output from *SCS spooled files, including overlays. To e-mail the PDF, you need Robot/ALERT.

2. I want to split my report so sales reps are getting only the information they need.
You can use ESEND to burst a report based on a “rule set” that you define. You can select from PDF, RTF, HTML, TXT, and spooled file output. If you choose spooled file output, ESEND sends the complete spooled file to the user’s output queue, but prints only the pages that fit the requirements of the rule set. (Note: If the user displays the spooled file, they may see more of the report than you intended.) ESEND can e-mail PDF, RTF, HTML, and TXT files to an individual user, or to a list of users.

Robot/REPORTS provides two ways to split your report. You can define “bursting instructions” to burst reports by specified criteria. Or, you can use OPAL segmenting for reports that are more complex. Robot/REPORTS can output the segment different ways: PDF, HTML, .CSV file, Microfiche, Print, View, or Robot/TRANSFORM. (Note: Robot/TRANSFORM is not a bursting tool.) Regardless of which output form you select, only the segment of information you have selected is available to the recipient.

3. I don’t want to print my reports. I want users to view them online.
ESEND doesn’t have a online viewer, but it does allow users to display spooled files using the WRKSPLFE command, and many ESEND and System i spooled file options. You can specify the spooled files a user can see. You can specify whether a user can access:

• Only their spooled files
• Spooled files on a particular output queue
• Spooled files based on the spooled file name

Robot/REPORTS has an online viewer that allows users to view their reports as soon as Robot/REPORTS finishes processing them. Users can decide if they would like to save a copy of the report in a different format (PDF or HTML), and whether to print the report on demand.

Robot/REPORTS lets users define and save their own views of report, to display certain columns and change the order in which columns appear. While viewing reports online, users can add public or private notes to the report.

Another Robot/REPORTS online viewing option is the Robot Browser Interface. This interface uses Portals for single-point access to multiple types of information and services. Portals let users access information located throughout a network, quickly and easily, from a single location using any device—PC, laptop, or PDA—that can read HyperText Markup Language (HTML).

Portals also reduce the load on an IT department because there is no software to install or update on a user’s computer. A Web server pulls information from the System i and processes requests, so the administrator performs all software maintenance on the Web server. This makes Portal software easy to use, easy to maintain, and especially helpful for people who connect to work over the Web. Because, Portals are browser-based, they are familiar, which translates to less training time and fewer Help Desk calls.

The main reason people have Robot/TRANSFORM is to create PDFs. If you have a Java interface, you can view spooled files through the Robot/TRANSFORM spooled file viewer, but this is not really meant for online viewing of end users.

4. I want to archive my reports and access them later.
You can use ESEND to create PDFs and e-mail them or place them in the IFS.

You can use Robot/TRANSFORM to create PDFs that you store in the IFS or e-mail using Robot/ALERT.

Many people find that the IFS is an adequate report archive. However if you need more, Robot/REPORTS has it. Robot/REPORTS is a robust tool for archiving. You can define an archive (retention) strategy for each report using three different archive stages: online, short-term, and long-term. (Short-term storage can be on disk, tape, or optical volume; long-term storage can be on tape or optical volumes.)

5. I want my PDF to have an overlay or form with it.
Use ESEND to create a PDF with an overlay. It can process *AFPDS and *SCS spooled files with overlays.

Use Robot/TRANSFORM to create a PDF with an overlay from an *AFPDS spooled file.

You can use Robot/REPORTS to create printed output containing an overlay, but it cannot create a PDF with an overlay.

Summary
Each of the three report products we discussed has different capabilities and focus. Take a closer look at the ones that best match your primary business needs.

Contributed by Marie Stangl, Maintenance Software Engineer

Lansing School District in Lansing, Michigan, is made up of over 16,000 students and covers three counties in the mid-Michigan area. They are the largest school district in the tri-county area with 27 elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools. They currently have nine magnet schools within their district and many specialty programs for children and adults.

SEQUEL supports the “data to the desktop” initiative
Steve Maiville, a supervisor in the Technology Department, explains the many ways Lansing uses SEQUEL. “Our application software is CIMS, which has traditionally been a 5250 green-screen application. We’ve been using SEQUEL for about seven years now. Ironically, we originally purchased SEQUEL to allow us to format three-up labels. But we’ve gone way beyond the simple report formatting that labels require. Our district has started an initiative we call ‘Data to the Desktop.’ The goal is to make data available to the people who need it at their desktop, often in real-time. This includes people who, in many cases, have never had real-time access to this data before. SEQUEL is the tool that allows us to make this happen quickly and efficiently.

“We’ve even been able to extend data to bus drivers in our transportation department using the SEQUEL Web Interface. They can access information about the students on their bus routes. This includes pictures of the students, parent phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and emergency contact information, as well as information about any special needs that a student may have, such as asthma or allergies to bee stings.”

SEQUEL dashboards aid administrators
Steve has found SEQUEL executive dashboards to be effective for displaying information. He explains, “We use SEQUEL dashboards to enable administrative and support people to see student information on discipline, testing, and attendance. We integrate run time prompting into our dashboards. CIMS stores data for different years in different file members on the same file. Depending on the prompt value, we can have the dashboard automatically assign the appropriate library and members to use when opening the files. We pass the library and member names from one view to the next with the drill downs. By using this practice, we can compare our staffing this year with past years. With SEQUEL, I’ve been able to greatly simplify the data extraction process.

“We also automated the process of distributing the monthly budget reports using SEQUEL. Previously, the staff of the Finance Department would print thousands of pages of monthly reports which they would separate and mail to different schools and departments. It was very costly and time-consuming. Now, we use the RUNCMD command in a SEQUEL script to automatically e-mail monthly formatted budget reports, as PDF attachments, to each of our schools and departments. Each PDF report has data specific to the recipient. I have a simple file with a record for each recipient, and fields for department or school number(s), a salutation, and an e-mail address. This file drives the whole process. It has saved us a lot of time and money, and is very easy to modify.”

SEQUEL helps speed purchasing
In the Lansing district, purchase orders normally have to be approved at multiple levels. Steve describes the process, “Twice a week we run a process using SEQUEL to examine all unapproved purchase orders (POs), determine who is next in line to approve or disapprove each PO, and e-mail that person reminding them that they need to take action so that the approval process can proceed.”

SEQUEL provides information in real time
Steve continues, “With SEQUEL, I can provide teachers with real-time information on their students through a Web browser. They are really excited, using words like ‘empowered’, and coming up with good ideas on how to improve the system. Currently, they can access information about how to contact parents, which allergies a student may have, assessment test scores, grades—whatever they might need.”

SEQUEL assists with data analysis
Lansing School District takes advantage of SEQUEL’s analysis functions in multiple ways. Says Steve, “We are also using SEQUEL to analyze data in the aggregate. Teachers and administrators can look at averages and summaries for test scores, days absent, sick days, grades, and so on. They can drill down any number of ways to see the supporting detail. Currently, our testing and research people are working with me to identify ways to streamline the data collection needs of the district.

“We also use SEQUEL’s date manipulation capabilities extensively. For example, we have blood drives where students, who will reach the age of 17 by the date of the drive, can volunteer to donate. SEQUEL subtracts their date of birth from the eligible date and creates letters to send to the students who qualify. The date and the age they need to be on that date are passed as run time variables. I really like the way I can use date arithmetic in my decision logic.”

SEQUEL helps simplify and improve things
Steve sums up the power and usefulness of SEQUEL. “I am always looking for ways to simplify and improve things. SEQUEL is the perfect tool for the job. I have had the opportunity to call the support staff on many occasions, and they are wonderful to work with. I love SEQUEL—it lets me solve problems creatively!”

Adds menu system, role-based security, enhanced troubleshooting, and reports

Help/Systems, the world’s leader in automated operations and business intelligence software for the IBM System i, announces the release of Robot/REPLAY 3.0, the newest version of its companion software to Robot/SCHEDULE, the automated System i job scheduler. Robot/REPLAY works with Robot/SCHEDULE to automate interactive System i processes that include menu systems and 5250 screen applications that cannot be run in batch mode.

Robot/REPLAY now sports a complete menu system for easy access to Replay objects (macros) and functions. The menu options allow users to learn, preview, schedule, and execute Replay objects; access Replay object information and view execution history; enroll Replay profiles; work with Replay applications; manage security settings, request reports; and maintain Robot/SCHEDULE reserved command variables embedded in Replay objects.

With Version 3.0, Robot/REPLAY offers role-based security to control access to Replay objects and functions. Robot/REPLAY administrators can organize their Robot/REPLAY users according to the Replay objects and functions they are allowed to learn, view, maintain, or execute; control access to Robot/REPLAY functions (such as menus or commands) and data (Replay objects); create security roles, specify their access rights, and group them using Robot/REPLAY applications. Administrators can even prevent unwanted access by users with *ALLOBJ authority to Replay objects that contain sensitive data.

Robot/REPLAY 3.0 provides a number of troubleshooting enhancements. A new visual log allows users to review the sequence of events that occurred during the execution of a Replay object. In addition, Robot/REPLAY bundles critical diagnostics information into a single, easy-to-use package, to save time during problem analysis. And, Robot/REPLAY log messages now provide more information for faster, easier problem resolution.

A suite of new reports allows users to list Replay objects and setup details; print Replay object screen images; review the relationships of the jobs that ran when a Replay object was executed; pinpoint Replay objects that contain Robot/SCHEDULE reserved command variables; print security roles, members, and access rights; and create a Robot/REPLAY security evaluation indicating which Replay objects a user profile can execute.

For more information about Robot/REPLAY 3.0, contact your Help/Systems Regional Sales Manager at 1-800-328-1000 or your local distributor.

Can Robot/ALERT send text messages to cell phones?
Yes. Use Robot/GUIDE to help you set up a TCP/IP vendor. It works just like sending e-mail to any e-mail address with Robot/ALERT.

I have a job that runs every day. On certain days when the job completes, I want a Robot/SCHEDULE job to react to its completion. Can I create a reactive job and specify which days I want it to run?
If you have a reactive job and days to run specified, Robot/SCHEDULE looks for both conditions before it runs the reactive job. Therefore, if the prerequisite job completes and it is a day the reactive job is scheduled to run, Robot/SCHEDULE runs it.

If the prerequisite job does not run, the reactive job will not run. If the reactive job has a day and time specified, and the prerequisite job has not run, you get a W (warning) status on the reactive job indicating that, “Not all prerequisites have been met.”

How do I make a script run when I open a SEQUEL dashboard?
There are two ways to make a script run in a SEQUEL dashboard: automatically, or by pressing a button. Either way, you must add an Action Button to your dashboard.

1. Create a new dashboard or open an existing dashboard in design mode.

2. Select Insert > Action Button from the menu.

3. In the Action Button dialog, press the SEQUEL Object button and navigate to your script.

4. To make the script run when the dashboard is opened, check the “Autorun” box. (If this box is not checked, you must press the Action Button to run the script.)

Message groups are used in Robot/CONSOLE as a way to group messages into logical categories based on the source of the message. You can use message groups to separate certain messages from normal system messages. For example, you might create a message group to group messages by specific applications, by programming groups, or by company department.

By grouping messages, you easily can redirect a message based on where it came from without having to create a message set to process the message.

You determine the types of messages that should be separated into message groups and the grouping criteria to use. You then define each message group and its selection criteria.

When a message arrives on a message queue monitored by Robot/CONSOLE, the message groups are checked in the priority order specified. If a match to a message group’s selection criteria is found, the message group is assigned to the message. Note: Only one message group can be assigned to a message.

How to create and use a message group
In this example, all EDI message failures are captured and directed to the local expert, Jean, without creating or using a message set.

1. Before creating the EDI message group, you must create an EDI message center. From the Robot/CONSOLE Main Menu, select option 6, System Setup Menu. When the System Setup Menu displays, select option 1, Message Center Maintenance. When the Message Center Maintenance panel displays, press function key 6, Add Record, to create a new center.
   
2. When the Message Center Entry panel displays, create the new message center. In this example, Jean is the expert in the EDICENTER Message Center. When Robot/CONSOLE receives an EDI error, it displays a pop-up window to advise her of the problem that needs attention. If Jean does not respond to the pop-up window after one minute, the error is redirected to the broadcast list, DALELIST. DALELIST sends pager or e-mail messages to Jean and several of her co-workers (via Robot/ALERT) until the error is answered or the end of the list is reached.
3. Create the EDIGRP message group. Go to the Maintain Message Groups panel and press function key 6 to create a new group. Name the group EDIGRP and give it a message priority, such as 25. Add a description and redirect failure messages directly to the local Message Center, EDICENTER. Press Enter to create the new group.
   
4. When the Maintain Message Groups panel displays, enter option 2, Message Group Detail, next to the new EDIGRP message group.
   
5. When the Message Group Detail panel displays, add the Message File and Library information. This creates a filter so that the message group will pick up only EDI errors.
   
6. Activate the message group.

You have created a process that will capture EDI failure messages and direct them to the local EDI expert without needing a message set.

Message groups are a powerful feature of Robot/CONSOLE. If you haven’t tried them, we hope this article helps you think about ways you could start using them!

Contributed by Bill Broeckert, Technical Consultant